Our Fitness Blog

Get Organized and Get Fit

We have all seen those people. They seem to have it all together. They are able to fit in their morning workout routines, make breakfast, get the kids off to school and get themselves ready and out the door for work. I know what many of you are thinking, how can you get all of this done before 8 A.M.? I know that it can seem near impossible to accomplish all of this in such a short and hectic period of time; however, there are ways that you can manage your time to be more prepared for the day ahead. If you take the time to get up earlier and stick to a strict schedule then you may find yourself living the life of one of those people that seem to have it all together and being the envy of your neighbors.

How do they do it

The first thing that you need to understand is that you have to prepare for everything. Mornings can be a hectic and stressful time for everyone in your family, so you have to plan for the unexpected. The more organized people get up earlier than most people. Their alarm clock may wake them up at 5:15 in the morning, and they will get dressed and be out the door to start their morning run at about 5:30. They can fit in about 45 minutes of exercise and return home at 6:15. They then decide to fix everyone's bagged lunches from the previous dinner's leftovers or extra food they have already prepared ahead of time. Then they shower and get the kids up and going. The rest of their morning is probably very similar to yours. All they had to do is get up a little earlier than you and plan ahead. It seems pretty simple, but it will take a lot of motivation and willpower on your part.

Take baby steps

You should not expect to be able to change your routine so drastically overnight. You have to take baby steps, in order to help your body adapt. If you try to immediately get up 2 or 3 hours before you usually do and go for a morning run, your body will most assuredly rebel, and you will most likely end up quitting before you truly start. For the first week, it would probably be best if you try to get up maybe 30 minutes earlier than usual and try to do some short workouts in your home. You could get a fitness DVD or search the internet for some effective and quick workouts. Then the next week you can increase it to getting up an hour earlier than normal and going for a short morning run to help your body get used to running so early in the morning. Then in 3 weeks you can get up as early as you want and perform your morning run and routine as you would like them to be. Remember to stick with planning ahead. Have your run mapped out ahead of time, your work clothes ready and laid out and make sure you have food for everyone's lunches. You have to be prepared for the day ahead, if you want to be able to keep up with your schedule.

It can seem overwhelming to start a new fitness routine. Just give yourself a week as a goal, and that momentum will motivate you to keep going.